The Independent View: Georgia to Fight Lowering Bar for Third-Party Presidential Candidates

Georgia has appealed a Federal judge’s ruling that could clear the way for the first independent candidate to appear on Georgia’s Presidential ballot since Pat Buchanan qualified for the Reform Party in 2000.

Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, who oversees elections in Georgia asked the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta to review a ruling that lowered the number of signatures required to petition to get on the ballot from tens of thousands to 7,500.

Kemp’s office said he filed the appeal both to uphold Georgia law and because the plaintiffs seek more than $200,000 in attorneys fees if the state loses the case.

Amanda Swafford, a one-time Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, has floated a potential bargain with the Georgia GOP that might help Republicans in the 2018 race for Governor, but could boost the third party’s chances in down-ticket races.

Here’s what she posted:

(1) The Libertarian Party of Georgia agrees not to field any candidate for Governor in 2018, therefore no potential run-offs in that race.

The trade:

(2) No petitioning requirements for any recognized political body candidates, presently, Libertarians, in 2018 thru 2020 for any partisan office in Georgia. Qualifying fees only, just as any other political party candidate must pay.

(3) No appeal of the Green Party v. SOS decision, setting Georgia’s Presidential signature requirement to 7,500 until the legislature acts.

She said it was a potential response to a Federal judge’s decision last month that ruled a portion of the state’s ballot access laws violated the U.S. Constitution and significantly lowered the bar for a third-party candidate to land on the ballot.

“As an independent and someone dedicated to ballot access reform in Georgia, I think it has real potential for all parties as every side with a stake in the process concedes a little in the deal,” she said.

Doug Craig, a Libertarian who has already announced a bid for Governor in 2018, said he has a meeting with Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office this month to discuss a potential deal. “I could live with that,” he wrote of Swafford’s proposal, “but would love a long-term solution.”